Swallows

Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Sloss Lake, AL One of the more difficult swallows to identify, this Northern Rough-winged swallow is very plain with Brown and light belly with a very faint chest bar as the best description. They are very similar to Bank Swallows but the latter has a very distinct band on the chest. This was one of a pair resting on the wires at Sloss Lake Park giving us a much better shot than in the air! Michael W Klotz 2022 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Sloss Lake, AL
Violet-green Swallow - Peach Cliff, BC This is one of the two green swallows found in British Columbia for the summer. The second is a Tree Swallow. There are three distinct features that separate the two birds with two visible here in this picture. The first is the white on the face extends up and over the eye where as the white stays below the eye in the Tree swallow. Secondly, the color of the back is more a metallic forest green while the tree swallow is a metallic blue-green. This was taken just south of Okanagan Falls below Peach Cliff. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Violet-green Swallow - Peach Cliff, BC
Tree Swallow - Iona Beach Regional Park, BC Our first splash of color here in Metro Vancouver came as a Tree Swallow and some apple flower buds. Along the walk between the two ponds at Iona Beach Regional Park there are a couple of nest boxes that house very content tree swallows. This male was protecting his hard won swallow home from an apple tree feet from the nest box on a stick. Tree swallows are the first of our migrating swallows and always mean that spring is here. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.comPicture
Tree Swallow - Iona Beach Regional Park, BC
Tree Swallow Pair - Iona Island, BC Mine! A mated pair of Tree Swallows have claimed a nesting box on the big pond at Iona Island. Every year, the coming of spring brings these little blue acrobats back from the south. They look very similar to the Violet-green swallows that come back at the same time but the two main differences are that the Tree Swallows eyes are in the color and the white that extends up their rump is less and does not look like it almost connects. Michael W Klotz 2021 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Tree Swallow Pair - Iona Island, BC
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Tree Swallow - Maplewood Flats, BC
Purple Martin - Richmond, BC Iona Island is one of Vancouver's best birding spots during all four seasons. Summer is no exception with birds like the only breeding population of Yellow-headed Blackbirds and this amazing insectivore, the Purple Martin. We almost lost the Purple Martin here in British Columbia. As I hear tell there was only 10 pairs left breeding on Vancouver Island until naturalists installed nest boxes on some pilings at our other best birding spot, Reifel Bird Sanctuary. When I took this picture that day, there were no less than 40 birds in the area. and there is an estimate of 1200 breeding in British Columbia. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Purple Martin - Richmond, BC
Tree Swallow - Meadow Lake, BC One of the first birds to be photographed on my trip up to Meadow Lake Guest Ranch in the Cariboo region of BC. These striking swallows are some of the first to show up indicating spring has arrived. This bird was resting on a snag overhanging the water with another Tree Swallow. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Tree Swallow - Meadow Lake, BC